1. Technical Field
The invention relates to storing and disinfecting medical instruments prior to disposal. More particularly, the invention relates to a disposal assembly for storing and disinfecting medical instruments having a non-fluid disinfectant until the disposal assembly is used.
2. Description of Related Art
The advent of AIDS has brought new and safer ways of handling disposable medical instruments which contact bodily fluids. These disposable medical instruments ("medical instruments") include, but are not limited to, needles, syringes and the catheters.
One such disposal device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,307, issued to Honeycutt on Mar. 28, 1989, wherein an apparatus is disclosed for storing the medical instruments and disposing of them. All of the medical instruments are inserted into a container wherein a liquid is poured over the medical instruments. After the liquid disinfects the medical instruments, the liquid hardens, via polymerization, immobilizing the medical instruments. The method and assembly are not ideal because the medical instruments are left unsecured and easily removable in the container until the liquid is poured into the container. This leaves a window of time for an accident to occur between the time an infected medical instrument is inserted into the container for eventual disinfection and disposal thereof and the time in which the container is completely filled. It is only after the container is filled to capacity that the hardening liquid is poured over the medical instruments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,449, issued to Conard et al on Jun. 26, 1990 discloses a disposable device used for retaining and disposing of medical instruments. This system utilizes a layer of styrofoam to secure the medical instruments in the disposable container and further includes a disinfecting layer comprising of a wadding-type material soaked in a contaminant-neutralizing agent. This system is deficient is because the wadding soaked in the contaminant-neutralizing agent is not sealed from the outside atmosphere and will, therefore, have the tendency to dry up and become ineffective prior to filling the whole assembly with medical instruments.
Further, all of the assemblies disclosed in the prior art require the manufacturing, packaging, and shipping of liquids used as contaminant-neutralizing agents. Having this agent be in liquid form at the onset increases the costs of packaging and handling.